News, 10/31/2016

When the sun doesn’t rise in northern Finland

The Polar Night Counter counts down the days to the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. After the winter solstice, the days gradually lengthen until the darkness of winter disappears. The counter also shows the duration of kaamos, the polar night during which the sun doesn’t show itself above the horizon, in locations where kaamos occurs.

Kaamos, the polar night during which there is no sunrise in the far north, is rarely completely dark. Kaamos only occurs above the Arctic Circle. In Utsjoki on the northern border, it lasts for almost two months. In Sodankylä, (located farther south, close to the Arctic Circle) the polar night lasts for four days.In the southern parts of Finland there is no polar night, but the days are still short. For example, in Helsinki the length of the shortest day of the year is less than six hours.